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Sector Z is part of a trio of nebulae that appear in the shape of an alphabetical character, itself formed in the shape of a giant Z. Beyond the other two sectors, Sector Z is in fact the most dangerous, despite its smaller size and less amount of magnetic radiation. This is in part because the sector is strewn with the wreckage of an earlier battle, and in part because of its proximity to Venom and Lylat's two suns.

"An impossibly huge letter Z formed from space dust looms in Sector Z. Of the three different space dust sectors, Sector Z is the most dangerous. Not only do strange magnetic waves here make navigation difficult, but the area is also strewn with the wreckage of an epic battle from several decades earlier when Cornerian Forces defeated Space Pirates."

Years before the Lylat Wars, Sector Z played host to a catastrophic battle between the Cornerian Army and a fleet of space pirates. Cornerian forces ultimately defeated the pirates, but left the sector a graveyard of wrecked warships, and apparently never got around to cleaning it. Some scientists believe Electromagnetism and the Atomic Weak Force drastically changed in this area after the war, likely attributed to the equipment left behind, reacting to the already unstable nature of the areas physical make-up, is one of the reasons it is so dangerous, even though the nebulae itself has less radioactivity than Sector X or Sector Y.

It was while attempting to navigate through these debris fields that the Star Fox team came under brutal attack from the Venomian Army. The ambush was sprung by the latest Invader III Fighters while escorting a half-dozen Copperhead missiles. Unable to protect itself, Great Fox launched its fighters in a desperate bid to prevent the missiles from impacting and causing extensive damage. The Star Fox Team, assisted by Katt Monroe, succeeded in driving off the attackers and destroying all six missiles before they could damage the mothership. By successfully sneaking through Sector Z, the Star Fox team was able to take the Venomian defenses at Area 6 completely by surprise.

In Star Fox 64 and the 3DS rerelease, Sector Z is only approached from Zoness, or if the Warp Zone was taken from Sector X. This is the only mission in the game to feature the Great Fox in the stage, (although it can give cover fire in Area 6). The objective is to destroy the onslaught of Invader III fighters and space junk, and protect Great Fox from three waves of Copperhead missiles. Falco, Peppy and Slippy will each take shots at destroying the missiles if they are not being tailed. If the taken flight route included Zoness, Katt Monroe will warp in just in time to help you take out the third wave of missiles after tracking you from Zoness. If the route was from Sector X instead, Katt won't know where Star Fox had gone to, so she won't appear at all. Destroying all six Copperheads will enable an attack run on Venom's air defense zone and the route will proceed to Area 6. But if Star Fox fails to destroy the Copperhead Missiles in time, the missiles will come in contact with the Great Fox. While the Great Fox ultimately survives the attack, one of the wings are severely damaged and broken, cancelling the choice of routes and forcing the Star Fox team to travel to Bolse.

"No one is sure what Andross is planning in Sector Z. It's a space graveyard full of wrecked warships, so he may be scavenging them for parts. The Star Fox Team's Arwing fighters are the only ships available that might be able to maneuver through the hazardous fields of space junk. The team's mission: scout the Sector, but use caution! It could be a trap...

"Try to destroy the first wave of fighters before the first missile arrives. Once the second wave of missiles appears, you'll have to concentrate on the missiles. Throughout this fight, you'll have your hands full fending off the missiles and keeping your wingmen alive. The mission will end as soon as a missile hits Great Fox, so you've got to concentrate on that threat once they appear. This is one of the most challenging medals to win."

“Between Great Fox, the enemy fighters and all the space debris, the sky will get very crowded on this mission. Besides taking laser damage, you'll likely run into a few things, too. For a quick repair job, head toward Great Fox's rear docking bay, just above the main engine. If you fly straight in without striking anything, you'll be rap aired instantly and end out the launch bay at the front of the ship. Your wings and shields will be fully restored, no matter how badly they were damaged, but you won't recover any lost Laser Upgrades.”

Sector Z appears in the game's V.s Mode. This is stage is playable in every Game Mode. There is some space junk on this stage, but not much else. It highly resembles its Main Game's counterpart. Since the stage is situated in space, the Arwing is the only vehicle available here.

"This next battle site is modelled after a portion of the Sector Z space junkyard. The arena is very tall, and you can climb, drive and perform complex manoeuvres without worrying about shaking into the ground. Flying through the debris in the corners is hazardous, but that's where you'll find Laser Upgrades and Smart Bombs. Of course, Landmasters and characters aren't available here."

Fox, Falco, and Slippy arrive at Sector Z. R.O.B. informs them of multiple Anglar contacts in the area. They are contacted by Krystal, who agrees to help them. R.O.B. picks up Enemy reinforcements, and they launch their ships. After the Anglar forces are destroyed, Krystal tells Fox that she and Star Wolf destroyed the base in the Venom Sea, but their ships began to corrode, and they got separated. Fox decides to head for the asteroid belt to finish the Anglars, and then find out Star Wolf's fate.

Sector Z is a playable stage in the Super Smash Bros., the first installation of the Super Smash Bros. series. It is the second largest stage in the game behind the Mushroom Kingdom. This arena takes place on the Great Fox. Occasionally, an Arwing will appear and will act as a temporary platform and even shoot at the players. It will either shoot across the screen or directly at one of the fighters. The blasts are very strong, so every fighter has keep an eye out for them. Space wreckage continuously float through the background, even in the Training Mode where the stages backgrounds are usually removed. The Copperhead missiles which had to be destroyed to protect the Great Fox in Star Fox 64, and one the primary fighter ships for Star Wolf Team, the Wolfen, also appear in the background occasionally. The stage did not return in later titles but is succeeded by Corneria which appeared in all titles onwards.

An error occurred in this sector concerning the coloration. Similar to Sector X, Sector Z was changed from orange in Star Fox 64 to purple in Star Fox Command.

Star Fox 64 3D also modified Sector Z's appearance from its appearance in Star Fox 64; it is also purple in this appearance, but the Z shape is now surrounded by gas that is a slightly darker shade of purple. In Nintendo World, Sector Z is red.

Sector Z is the battle area in Super Smash Bros., however, it is also arguably the hardest level to reach, and therefore quite possibly the least recognizable stage from Star Fox 64.

Sector Z is considered by most expert players to be one of the most difficult levels in Star Fox 64 to obtain a medal on due to several factors. Ironically, one of these factors is that the wingmen AI is more capable of taking down enemy fighters and the Copperhead missiles than normal, further exacerbated should they reach this level from Zoness since Katt Monroe will be there too, and their kills to do not count towards the player's total. Furthermore they will have to try to balance raising their points total by shooting down enemies with dealing with the missiles (Which give out 10 points each provided the player destroys them) if they wish not for the level to end early and if they wish to go to Area 6. The required points total to obtain this medal is 100.

During the ambush of Great Fox, if Peppy, Slippy or Falco are forced to retreat because their shield gauges are down, they will fly directly to the Great Fox's rear hangar. This only happens in Sector Z.